The best thing to drink for an upset stomach with diarrhea is an oral rehydration solution, which replaces both the water and the electrolytes your body is losing. Plain water alone isn’t enough because diarrhea flushes out sodium, potassium, and chloride along with fluid. Beyond rehydration, certain teas and starchy liquids can calm nausea, ease cramping, and slow stool output.
Why Rehydration Comes First
Diarrhea doesn’t just lose water. Every loose stool pulls sodium and potassium out of your body, and those electrolytes are what your intestines need to absorb water in the first place. Without sodium in the gut, water passes straight through. That’s why drinking plain water during a bout of diarrhea can leave you feeling just as depleted.
Oral rehydration solutions (ORS) work because of a specific pairing: glucose and sodium travel together across the intestinal wall, and water follows them. This transport system stays intact even when your gut is inflamed or irritated, which is why ORS works during active diarrhea when other drinks don’t absorb well. You can buy ORS packets or premixed drinks (Pedialyte, DripDrop, or store-brand equivalents) at any pharmacy.
The World Health Organization’s formula contains 13.5 grams of glucose, 2.6 grams of sodium chloride, 1.5 grams of potassium chloride, and 2.9 grams of trisodium citrate per liter of water. You don’t need to mix your own, but knowing this helps you evaluate what’s on the shelf. Look for products that are low in sugar and contain both sodium and potassium. Sip steadily rather than gulping large amounts at once, which can trigger more nausea.
Rice Water
Rice water is one of the oldest home remedies for diarrhea, and it holds up well under scrutiny. A meta-analysis of 13 clinical trials found that rice-based rehydration solutions reduced stool output in the first 24 hours by 32 to 36% in adults and children with severe diarrhea. For milder, non-cholera diarrhea in children, the reduction was smaller (around 18%) but still meaningful.
To make it, boil one cup of white rice in two to three cups of water for about 20 minutes, then strain. The starchy liquid provides a gentle source of carbohydrates that supports the same sodium-glucose absorption mechanism as ORS, while the starch itself helps firm up stool. You can add a small pinch of salt to improve its rehydrating effect. It’s bland enough that most people can keep it down even when nauseous.
Ginger Tea for Nausea
Ginger is best known for settling nausea, and it does this partly by speeding up the rate at which your stomach empties into the small intestine. In one controlled study of patients with chronic indigestion, ginger cut the stomach’s half-emptying time from about 16 minutes to about 12 minutes compared to placebo. When food and fluid sit in the stomach too long, it contributes to that heavy, queasy feeling, so faster emptying can bring relief.
Ginger also interacts with serotonin receptors in the gut, the same receptors targeted by prescription anti-nausea medications. To make ginger tea, slice about an inch of fresh ginger root and steep it in hot water for 5 to 10 minutes. Packaged ginger tea bags work too, though they tend to be milder. Drink it warm, not hot, and in small amounts. Ginger won’t stop diarrhea directly, but it addresses the nausea and stomach discomfort that often come with it.
Chamomile Tea for Cramping
If your upset stomach involves cramping or spasms, chamomile tea is a solid choice. The dried flowers contain plant compounds that act directly on the smooth muscle lining your intestines, relaxing it. Lab studies show these compounds can reduce intestinal muscle contractions by up to 80%, which is why chamomile has been a traditional remedy for gastrointestinal spasms for centuries.
Steep a chamomile tea bag or a tablespoon of dried flowers in hot water for five minutes. Like ginger tea, it’s gentle enough to tolerate when your stomach is sensitive. Chamomile won’t rehydrate you on its own, so think of it as a comfort drink alongside your main rehydration strategy.
Coconut Water
Coconut water sits somewhere between plain water and a proper rehydration solution. It’s naturally rich in potassium (about 51 milliequivalents per liter) and contains moderate sodium (about 33 milliequivalents per liter), along with small amounts of natural sugar and chloride. It has been used clinically as an oral rehydration aid for fluid loss from gastrointestinal illness.
The catch is that coconut water is higher in potassium than sodium, while diarrhea losses tend to be heavier in sodium. So it’s a reasonable option if it’s what you have available, and it’s far better than plain water, but it’s not a perfect substitute for ORS. If you’re using coconut water, adding a small pinch of table salt (about a quarter teaspoon per cup) helps balance the sodium content.
Clear Broths
Chicken broth, vegetable broth, or bone broth provides sodium, a small amount of calories, and warm liquid that’s easy on the stomach. Broth is especially useful in the first 12 to 24 hours of illness when solid food sounds unappealing. The salt content in most store-bought broths is actually an advantage here, since you need to replace lost sodium. Choose low-fat versions, as fatty broths can be harder to digest and may worsen diarrhea in some people.
What to Avoid
Some popular “sick day” drinks will make diarrhea worse. Sugary beverages like soda, fruit juice, and sweetened sports drinks contain far more sugar than your gut can absorb at once. The excess sugar stays in your intestine, pulls water in by osmosis, and increases the volume and frequency of loose stools. Apple juice and grape juice are common offenders.
Coffee is another drink to skip. It stimulates colonic motility, increasing movement in your large intestine as quickly as four minutes after drinking it. Regular coffee boosts colon activity about 60% more than a glass of water. Interestingly, this effect isn’t purely about caffeine: decaffeinated coffee also stimulates the colon, though about 23% less than regular. Coffee also triggers the release of stomach acid and gut hormones like gastrin, which can amplify cramping and urgency. Caffeinated tea has a milder effect but is still worth limiting if you’re having frequent loose stools.
Alcohol and milk are also poor choices. Alcohol is dehydrating and irritates the gut lining. Dairy can be difficult to digest during gastrointestinal illness because temporary lactose intolerance is common when the intestinal lining is inflamed.
How to Tell If You’re Getting Dehydrated
The simplest gauge is your urine. If you’re producing a normal volume of pale yellow urine, your fluid intake is keeping up. Dark yellow or amber-colored urine means you’re falling behind. Not urinating at all is a sign of severe dehydration that needs prompt medical attention. A rapid heartbeat or rapid breathing at rest are other warning signs that fluid loss has become serious, especially in young children and older adults who have less margin for error.
For most adults with a standard stomach bug, steady sipping of ORS or a combination of broth, rice water, and herbal tea will keep you hydrated through the worst of it. Aim to take a few sips every five to ten minutes rather than large amounts at once, which your irritated stomach will handle much better.